Firings of Misbehaving Dallas Cops Announced on Social Media
Pink slips come with a hashtag these days as Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown (PDF) takes to Twitter and Facebook to announce the firing of misbehaving employees—and the reasons for their dismissal. Given the extraordinary power that police wield, and some high-profile and controversial abuses by officers in the department, that may be a very public way of establishing that Dallas police are doing something about their problems.
In October, Dallas Police Officer Cardan Spencer got the boot after video footage contradicted his story about a confrontation with a mentally ill man.
And four officers were fired on December 30 for a variety of reasons, including domestic violence, public intoxication, and shooting an unarmed man who had his hands raised in the air.
The officer in that last incident, Senior Corporal Amy Wilburn, lost her job (as did the others) after a hearing before Chief Brown. A statement released on Facebook said, "The Internal Affairs investigation concluded that Senior Corporal Wilburn violated the Department's Use of Deadly Force policy when she fired upon an unarmed person without fear or justification." It then gave a detailed rationale for the department's conclusions.
On his official Twitter feed, Chief Brown announced:
I have terminated SC Amy Wilburn today for firing her weapon upon an unarmed person without fear or justification.
The other firings and disciplinary actions were also tweeted and announced on Facebook.
In an era when police misconduct is commonly caught on video for the YouTube-viewing world to see, announcing via social media that there are consequences for that misbehavior might be a way to rebuild bridges to the public.
Especially if behavior improves.
The Dallas PD has suffered pushback in the past when attempting to hold officers accountable for things like obeying the traffic laws they enforce, so we'll have to see if this experiment lasts.
(H/T to CNet's Chris Matyszczyk)
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It’s well past PM links and still no Reason shout-out to proto-ibertarian Zora Neale Hurston’s 123rd birthday?
Gillespie and Welch are racists, straight up.
I suggest you avoid the most recent comment underneath the LA Times article.
The one about her being in hell? Because that’s kind of hilarious.
It would have been good satire.
Being an atheist (an amystic would be better word if that were a word) I would hope that the rules could be rewritten, so in case I’m wrong I could get like a million years in purgatory instead of burning in hell for eternity. If President Obama could do this by executive order, I’d vote him in for a third term.
You could do a death bed repentance, but that plan really doesn’t cover you in a case of sudden death.
The headline says she was Dazzler, and reason has always been anti-mutant.
On his official Twitter feed, Chief Brown announced…
Needs moar lulz.
He told his family about the troubles in his department over dinner, and that genius son of his was able to solve the case and identify all of them–before dessert!
I believe that’s Chief Wiggum’s crime-solving method as well.
Thems good lulz.
Thigh gap was so 2013… this year it’s all about the bikini bridge
That looks like a distant cousin to hot dog legs.
I favor this.
Meat curtains!!!!
I must research this further.
I’ll be in my bunk.
Subject #1
I’m pretty sure that guy is playing “Silence of the Lambs”.
#2
That looks odd.
I mean, it’s great that your tumor allows for a bikini bridge, but you can’t be hot by technicality.
Crosby was able to convince Yzerman to let Kunitz play on Team Canada but not “The Real Deal” James Neal?
Just found out…
Oh jesus, they fucking picked Rick Nash as well. I guess crosby runs the team now (him and nash are bffs).
Neal should have been picked. Even through all the shit that’s happened to him this year his numbers are very respectable.
By comparison, I conclude the bikini bridge IS the new thigh gap.
I prefer the thigh gap.
Also, this is why there are no libertarian women.
Also also chicken and waffles.
I am a libertarian woman, and this is like the worst chat room ever!
(Actually, I am a libertarian lesbian trapped in a man’s body)
Government should publish their firings and their reasons. Frankly I’m glad to see that some have finally been fired. We know people working in government are no better than those who are not in government (actually they’re probably worse, as criminals are attracted to working in governemnt because it’s easy to get away with crime as a government official).
After all, the government and its employees work for us, and if one is hired/fired/paid, we should know all about it.
I hope the rules can be rewritten
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